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How to Make Productivity Fun and Work for ADHD and ASD Minds · The Wandering Wolf Podcast

• 0:06
  I walked out of yet another frustrating occupational therapy
• 0:10
  session feeling
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: completely defeated.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing she suggested seemed to work for me and she also gave up on me.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I did what I always do when I was searching for answers.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: I picked up a book.
• 0:28
  This time it was Feel Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal,
• 0:33
  a book I had read last year.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: As I flipped through the pages, something clicked.
• 0:40
  I had to figure it out myself,
• 0:42
  because I would not get any help with this from others.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to The Holding Podcast.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: This time, as I reread the book, a key message stood out.
• 0:55
  It's not just about getting things done,
• 0:58
  it's about having fun while doing them.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's what makes productivity sustainable.
• 1:05
  In the first chapter,
• 1:06
  Abdal shares a story about a physicist,
• 1:10
  Richard Feynman.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: In the 1940s Feynman was burned out and inspired.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: Then one day he saw students tossing a plate in the air.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: That small,
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: fun moment sparked his curiosity,
• 1:27
  leading him down a path of discovery that eventually earned him
• 1:31
  a Nobel Prize.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: The work didn't feel like work anymore.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: It was play, and that changed everything.
• 1:40
  This hit me hard because I have always struggled with making
• 1:43
  things feel enjoyable.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: In school, assignment felt like a pure torture.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Even now,
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: as an artist,
• 1:51
  I sometimes lose motivation when a project becomes a must-do
• 1:57
  rather than something
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: I want to do.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's why I tweak my assignments,
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: I take a reference image but turn it into something I actually enjoy,
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: like my original characters or fanart.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: When something is fun, it stops being sure.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: And when it stops being sure, I can hyper focus and get it done.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: People often suggest making boring tasks more fun,
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: like listening to music while cleaning or turning it into a game.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: That's great in theory, but it's still a struggle for me.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: However,
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  SPEAKER_00: One thing is clear.
• 2:39
  When we feel good while doing something,
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  we naturally want to keep doing it.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: For those of us with ADHD and AST,
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  SPEAKER_00: that's even more crucial because motivation is always a challenge.
• 2:54
  Most productivity advice out there isn't designed for
• 2:57
  neurodivergent minds.
• 3:00
  It assumes we can just build habits in 90 days or stick to a
• 3:04
  structural routine.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: But for us, that rarely works.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: My doctor once told me, this world isn't made for you.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: And he's right.
• 3:16
  Instead of changing ourselves to fit a rigid system,
• 3:20
  we need to find a system that works for us.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Not easy in today's world, but something has to change.
• 3:27
  For example,
• 3:29
  I have learned that I can't force creativity into a timeline.
• 3:34
  Creativity gurus love time blocking,
• 3:37
  but if I try to work out time for drawing,
• 3:39
  it never works.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: My creativity doesn't turn on like a light switch.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: It comes and goes.
• 3:46
  So instead of forcing structure where it doesn't belong,
• 3:50
  I let creativity flow naturally.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: But some things do benefit from structure, like cleaning.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: I hate doing it alone.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: But if someone else is with me, suddenly it's easier.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: We talk, bounce ideas off each other and make the process engaging.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: I recently read another book, Slow Productivity by Ken Newport.
• 4:16
  While it's not written for people with ADHD or ASD,
• 4:20
  it still has some good lessons.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: Do less, take on fewer tasks, care about quality.
• 4:28
  Don't rush through life trying to keep up with the world's
• 4:31
  unrealistic speed.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: I have started applying this by limiting myself to three tasks a day,
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: with only one being a big task,
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  SPEAKER_00: like a meeting.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: If I overload myself, I crash.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Simple as that.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Another approach is to designate one day as a light or clean day.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: No big meetings or heavy tasks.
• 4:58
  Some people choose Monday as a rest day,
• 5:01
  keep me free of being of big obligations.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: But I have flipped that around.
• 5:12
  I have chosen one day when I do my biggest task instead and
• 5:17
  that day is Wednesday.
• 5:19
  Because my dad take my dog for a walk that day,
• 5:22
  meaning I have less stuff to do.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: This way I can mentally prepare,
• 5:27
  get everything done in one go and free up the rest of my week
• 5:32
  for more flexible,
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: creative work.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: At the end of the day the biggest lesson I have learned is this.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: If something isn't fun, why force yourself to do it the hard way?
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Find a way to make it enjoyable.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to music,
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  SPEAKER_00: invite a friend,
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: change how you approach the task,
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  SPEAKER_00: and most importantly,
• 5:56
  don't beat yourself up when mainstream productivity advice
• 6:01
  doesn't work for you.
• 6:02
  Those methods aren't designed for us,
• 6:05
  but that doesn't mean we can't find our own way.
• 6:09
  I'm still figuring all of this out and I will be sharing my
• 6:12
  experience along the way.
• 6:14
  If you found a trick that makes productivity easier or more fun
• 6:17
  for you,
• 6:18
  let me know.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe together we can rewrite the rules of productivity on our own terms.
• 6:25
  Thanks for listening,
• 6:27
  share it with someone you love and have a wonderful rest of
• 6:29
  your day.